Bruised hearts-new beginnings
by kepc
Summary: One Shot... While Stevie and Alex struggle with the remains of their friendship Marcus and Grace meet for the first time.
1. Chapter 1

Everyone in the district has gathered for the annual Cross Country Race .

Alex Ryan hasn't ridden in it for the last couple of years as he's been married , divorced and lived in Argentina.

Alex has his brother Marcus as his partner this year and they're both pretty cocky about how good they are and believe they're going to take line honours.

Stevie Hall has ridden each year with the Drover's girls and they usually place well .

This year her friend Grace is riding with her.

Alex and Stevie have recently begun to speak to each other again and only Regan is aware of why they fell out in the first place.

...

" Ok attention everyone! The course is marked out and runs across the usual path with a few extra diversions thrown in." The master of ceremonies announces.

Everyone quietens down and listens intently.

Stevie and Grace are standing together when Alex and Marcus join them.

" Do you think we should have a side bet?" Alex asks.

Stevie has her arms folded across her chest as she turns and quips " If you want to lose some money we should."

"We'll win Alex without doubt so long as you can keep up!" Marcus replies.

Grace and Stevie exchange looks.

Grace offers. " Losers buy the winners dinner and drinks at the pub."

Marcus holds out his hand to Grace and says " Like taking candy from a baby."

...

Everyone is called to ride out as it's a staggered start and as Alex and Marcus move up to the start line Marcus asks " Who's Stevie's friend Alex? She pretty damn cute.'

" I don't know mate I've never met her before." Alex replies.

Regan is walking past and Alex calls her over and asks "Hey Regan is Stevie's mate any good in the saddle?"

Regan grins and asks " Have you heard of Grace Kingston ?'

Alex looks pissed off and says to Marcus " We've been had mate."

Marcus has no idea what Alex is on about and just looks puzzled.

" Grace Kingston is a rodeo champion mate she'll be hard to beat." Alex offers.

Regan grins and offers. " Alex she's also my sister.'

"Oh Bloody hell what so she's a McLeod as well?"Alex queries.

Regan nods and laughs.

" Get your wallet out Marcus we'll be buying dinner." Alex states.

...

Stevie and Grace are well ahead of the main field but know Marcus and Alex aren't far behind.

Stopping for an orange race card Grace slides easily onto the ground and reads the cryptic clue.

Stevie listens and Grace watches as she thinks and then smiling says. "Come on Grace it's one of Kilarney's dams."

As the two women gallop across the course .

Marcus yells . " Alex there they are !"

Alex has read the clue and is already running for his horse and calls" Kilarney's main dam Marcus."

" They're both awesome riders aren't they" Marcus muses watching the girls.

"If we lose you're paying if you don't stop gawking and start riding.' Alex calls over his shoulder.

Marcus laughs and gives chase.

...

" Come on Stevie you have to go in I'm not that strong a swimmer." Grace argues.

Stevie is pissed off and says "I hate riding in wet clothes Grace.'

" Take your jeans, over shirt and your bra off do the swim when you get out put your bra back on and then your over shirt."Grace offers.

" Yeah thanks Grace you owe me a beer for this." Stevie says as she begins to strip off.

Grace laughs as Stevie complains about the mud and cold water.

Swimming swiftly Stevie grabs one of the plastic containers from the middle of the dam and holding it in her teeth begins the swim back.

"It's like having my own gun dog fetch Stevie fetch!" Grace laughs and almost over balances.

Stevie takes the container from her mouth and says " Paybacks a bitch Kingston."

Grace laughs more.

...

Alex and Marcus arrive as Stevie nears the edge and as Alex starts taking his boots, hat and jeans off.

Stevie quips "Waters cold Alex!"

Grinning at her he quips " I'm not afraid of cold water Stevie.'

He laughs as she gets stuck in the mud and keeps falling over but he reaches out his hand to help her.

" Thanks ." She offers then whispers. " Be careful of the shrinkage factor Alex."

Grinning he whispers back. " I think that t-shirt is my all time favourite Stevie."

Puzzled she moves up the bank and Grace quips " Wow Stevie that water really was cold."

Stevie registers and looks down quickly folding her arms across her chest she glimpses Marcus grinning and she growls. " Are ya right?'

He laughs and so does Grace.

...

Stevie stands on the other side of Grace's horse and quickly dresses as best she can and by the time Alex turns to swim back the girls are well on their way .

Out of the water Alex grabs his jeans and struggles to put them back on .

Marcus says. " Hurry up we're losing ground."

" Shut up Marcus I didn't see you volunteering to swim." Alex growls as he remounts the horse and they give chase again.

Stevie and Grace ride in a full two minutes ahead of Marcus and Alex and although they aren't overall winners they're very happy they beat the boys and rub it in big time.

...

Later at the pub the four enjoy a great meal courtesy of the boys as they lost the bet.

They laugh about the ride and the challenges they all faced and the fact that the girls conned them.

Marcus is flirting with Grace much to her delight and as the band begins to play he asks if she'd like to dance and the two new friends head off.

Alex looks at Stevie and says . " They seem to be getting on really well."

" Yeah I guess it is easier when there's no baggage attached." She muses watching the pair walk away.

" Yeah I guess you're right." He agrees and the two sit for a moment without talking.

" So how have you been Stevie?'Alex asks.

" I'm ok." She replies looking at him nervously.

" Would you like to dance with me Stevie?" He asks softly.

" I don't think so Alex." She replies.

" It's just a dance Stevie." He growls.

She glares at him and says " Just a dance you have to be kidding Alex . I get to have your arms around me , smell your aftershave and feel the heat of your body against me. No I can't dance with you my, heart wouldn't survive ."

She stands and walks away.

Alex leans his head on his hands for a moment and wonders if he should follow.

...

Stevie grabs a beer and heads out onto the veranda .

Chatting to locals as she makes her way through the crowd eventually she finds a quieter spot and sits down.

Ten minutes pass and she's deep in thought when his voice asks " Can I sit down Stevie?'

Looking up she says " Alex please stop. I can't do this, I thought I could but I can't. ."

He smiles and says " Yes you can."

" I can't!" She yells.

" Please leave me alone!"

" No I won't ! We're mates you have to talk to me." He yells back.

" Were mates Alex! Past tense, were mates but you changed that remember!" She yells and everyone nearby is listening intently.

She pushes past him and walks back into the pub.

He follows and angrily yells . " I love you god damn it Stevie don't walk away from me!"

She stops and turns slowly and says " Oh so you decide you love me and I'm supposed to fall at your feet? I tried to warn you about her and you wouldn't listen. I was in love with you and you married her ! You made me watch that and you knew I loved you, you knew..." Her voice trails away.

...

Grace , Marcus and Regan like everyone else in the pub have stopped to watch and listen.

Marcus whispers. " Bloody hell I had no idea. I knew they were friends but..."

He looks at Regan and asks. " Did you know?"

She looks sad and nods.

Grace says " Come on Regan let's take her home.'

" It's been a fun night Marcus . Thanks for the dance." Grace says .

Marcus looks concerned and replies " Yeah it was Grace when things settle would you like to have dinner with me?"

Smiling she nods and replies " Yeah I'd like that a lot."

Both McLeod women move forward and with one either side of her usher Stevie out.

...


	2. Chapter 2

_**A requested second shot! **_

_**Not sure if it's as good as the first but I like it ! lol **_

_**Enjoy!**_

On the trip home Stevie doesn't speak and the girls don't push.

When they reach Drover's Run she opens the car door and moves inside grabs a beer and sits outside on the seat.

" Stevie do you want company?" Regan asks .

Stevie shakes her head without turning around.

"Ok try to get some sleep and I'll see you in the morning."Regan offers.

"Yeah." Stevie says holding her voice steady.

...

Marcus drives and the silence is deafening until he says. "I thought you were a smart bloke Alex but if you passed her up for Fiona, you're not very smart at all."

Alex glares at him and says. " Shut up Marcus you have no idea what you're talking about."

Marcus says " Stevie is smart , funny , easy on the eye and by what I've heard Fiona wasn't a scratch on Stevie . What in the hell were you thinking?'

Alex stares out into the darkness and doesn't reply.

When they pull up at Kilarney he gets out of the car and goes to his room.

...

Several days pass and Stevie throws herself into her work and tries to forget about Alex but everything she does reminds her of him.

She feels like she's on the verge of tears most of the time and avoids conversation.

Even when she's asleep he invades her dreams and she begins to dread sleep as well.

...

Marcus pulls up at Drover's and sees Stevie over at the yards and decides to go and says hello before he looks for Grace.

" Hey Stevie." He calls and as she turns he's shocked at how tired and drawn she looks.

"Hi Marcus, Grace is up at the house." Stevie answers.

"Stevie you look awful." Marcus states and instantly regrets the bluntness of his delivery.

Her face crumbles .

He steps forward and holds her.

They stand for a moment and Stevie moves back and says "I'm sorry Marcus."

He smiles and says "It's ok my shirt needed a rinse off."

She wipes her eyes and tries to smile.

" Stevie you can't go on like this go and talk to him." Marcus tells her.

" Stay out of it Marcus please." She says as she walks away.

...

Grace and Marcus have a great night at the pub and find each other's company easy and fun.

Marcus tells her about how he'd like to do serious cross country racing and Grace offers to coach him.

The two chatter about race techniques and correct tack and finally the barman calls time.

Marcus looks at his watch and says. " Wow that went fast."

Grace grins and says " Time flies when you're having fun."

He smiles at her and gestures for her to move towards him.

Grinning she moves towards him and let's him kiss her.

" Hmm not bad." She quips.

He grins and says " I can do better if you'd like to take me somewhere more private."

Rising she takes his hand and says " Well what are we doing wasting time here?"

...

Marcus is flat on his back asleep and Grace is nestled in beside him when they both wake to a blood curdling scream.

Grace is out of bed before Marcus registers where he is properly but he follows half asleep anyway.

By the time he reaches the hall way Grace has disappeared but the light from an open door shines out into the hallway so he moves towards that and is shocked by what he sees.

Regan is sitting with Stevie sobbing into her embrace and as Regan soothes and hushes her, Stevie babbles. " I couldn't find him Regan it was so real I searched everywhere and I couldn't find him."

Grace rubs her friends back and says " Stevie you have to go and talk to him you can't keep this up"

Marcus moves back to Grace's room and waits until she returns.

...

"How long has that been going on?" Marcus asks and Grace can hear the anger in his voice.

Grace looks at him and replies. "Months apparently but since their fight at the pub it's gotten worse Regan thinks Stevie's headed for a nervous breakdown and I sure as hell don't know what to do about it."

" How often does she have nightmares like that Grace?' Marcus asks.

" Every night sometimes twice a night." Grace replies then adds " I'm sorry I didn't even think about that when I asked you to stay. It's not a very nice way to be woken up."

" Never mind about me I'm a big boy I'll get over it . What can we do for Stevie?'He asks.

" Honestly Marcus I haven't got a clue." Grace answers.

...

Four days later Stevie and Grace drive out to the further most point on Drover's Run late in the afternoon.

Grace has discovered lambs that appear to have been mauled by something although she's not sure what .

Stevie unloads the guns and her swag and the food and then asks. " Grace where is your swag?'

" Oh bloody hell I sat in on the roof of the Ute it must be back across the paddock. You get set up and I'll take a quick look and grab it .' Grace says as she jumps back into the car and quickly pulls away.

Stevie busies herself with her swag and gets set up with their thermos and waits for Grace to return.

...

Alex is annoyed when he says " Why does it have to be me Marcus why can't you stay out here . Stevie won't even speak to me so it'll be a top night."

" Alex it's a favour to me alright I've got a date with Grace and things are going really well. The girls have stashed Stevie's car up the back so if it gets too bad just get her to drive you home alright." Marcus explains.

Grumpily Alex climbs from the cab and grabs his swag off the back and as soon as he steps away from the car Marcus drives off.

Stevie looks up assuming it was Grace but is furious when she sees Alex.

"What in the hell are you doing here?"She yells striding towards him.

"Oh yeah Hi Alex how in the bloody hell are you?"He yells back at her.

"Where's Grace?'Stevie yells .

"Getting ready for her date I guess!"Alex yells at her.

"What in the hell are you on about?"She yells.

"Marcus said I had to do the stake out with you because he had a date with Grace."Alex growls.

Stevie stares at him for a minute and then struts over to her swag and sits down without another word.

...

He follows her and throws his swag down beside hers and begins to unroll it.

"You're not sitting there ."She snarls.

"Hey I'm the one doing the favour by keeping you company so how about backing off."He retorts.

She glares at him but doesn't speak.

As darkness is close to falling he asks "So what do you think is getting your lambs. There doesn't seem to be any signs of carcasses around."

Suddenly it dawns on Stevie that they've been set up.

"Great."She say almost under her breath.

"What?' He asks.

"Grace dropped me off. Marcus dropped you off. I think perhaps there is no threat to livestock they're trying to make us talk." Stevie states.

Alex looks at her and says "So your car isn't stashed somewhere?'

She shakes her head.

"Great ."He growls as he climbs into his swag.

She does the same and neither speaks another word.

...

Marcus drops Grace back to the house and as he kisses her goodnight she says "Are you sure you don't want to stay?"

"I'd love to stay Grace but I've got an early start remember I have to pick them up and it may not be pretty." He replies.

"Do you think we've done the right thing Marcus?"She asks.

"I really don't know Grace but I'm sure we couldn't possibly make it any worse."He answers.

...

Alex wakes startled by Stevie's terrified scream he rolls over to her quickly realizing she's having a nightmare.

"Stevie it's alright you're having a nightmare ."He soothes as he slides his arm under her neck and pulls her in close she buries her face into his chest and cries and he feels his heart will break .

The sound of her breathing tells him she's drifted back off to sleep and as he's enjoying holding her he stays where he is.

Afraid if he moves she'll wake and move away he just enjoys the feeling of her softness and the smell of her perfume for now that's all he needs.

...

"Alex! Alex!"Stevie calls softly in the darkness.

He wakes and whispers "Yeah what's up?"

"You're cuddling me."She offers.

"You were having a night mare Stevie. You cried it was awful and then you fell asleep so I didn't move because I thought you'd wake up."He explains.

"I need to pee ."She states.

"Well that's romantic, certainly kills the mood."He quips and she giggles.

...

He releases her and she moves away , he stands and stepping away from the swags has a pee stop as well.

Climbing back into his swag his eyes adjust to the darkness and he watches as she stumbles back to her swag .

"Stevie come here."He whispers as she gets closer and begins to search for her swag.

"Alex where's my swag?'She asks.

"My swags big enough for the both of us Stevie and it will be warmer."He offers.

She slides in beside him and says "Alex I don't want to fight anymore."

Sliding his arm under her he replies "Me neither."

She snuggles into him and says "It would probably be a bit more comfortable without jeans and jumpers."

In the darkness he grins and whispers "I'm game if you are."

They laugh as they attempt to shed some of their bulkier clothing then snuggle back down together.

Sliding his hand onto her stomach he whispers "Your skin is so soft ."

While she enjoys his touch, she wills him to kiss her, she's waited so long for this.

...

With ease he moves her onto her back and gently brushes her lips with his own.

He lingers there enjoying the sensation of endless time, he can kiss her all night if he wants.

In each other's arms nothing is rushed .

Kisses are long , slow, passionate and tender .

Both revelling in the fact that the kisses are the beginning of something they've both longed for.

Once they move past the kisses their first time will only happen once and without uttering a word both want it to be something that is worthy of the time they've had to wait.

...

Throughout the night they hold onto each other and when they wake in the morning it's because Marcus has arrived to pick them up.

"Well this is much better. I see you kids have played nice ."Marcus quips .

Stevie looks at him and says " Why did you set us up like that?'

" I heard your screams Stevie when I stayed on Drover's the other night and I thought if Alex was actually the one to hear you and comfort you and if you could hear him say it's ok the dreams might stop." Marcus states.

" So you were just trying to stop the nightmares?" Alex asks .

Marcus chuckles and says " Yes that was my goal but it appears I'm a bit of a matchmaker as well."

Alex climbs from the swag and puts his jeans on and says. " Don't go getting ahead of yourself Marcus . She fell for my charms pure and simple."

Stevie struggles around getting dressed in the swag and says " I think you'll find it was my nightmare that roped you both in."

" Oh please." Marcus begins and Alex shuts him down with " Yeah it was Stevie nightmares alright but she was frightened because she thought she'd lost me so technically it was all about me."

Stevie laughs and says 'Well which one of you heroes is going to cook me breakfast I'm starving."

Both men look at each other and say. " He is!"

Stevie rolls up her swag and mumbles " Fine I'll cook my own."

" While you're cooking yours would you cook some for me too?" Alex asks grinning at her.

She teases "You're treading on thin ice Ryan , I was getting used to those nightmares."

He laughs and says " Alright I'll cook you breakfast then."

As she throws her swag onto the back of the Ute she quips. " It's like taking candy from a baby."

Marcus and Alex look at each other and chuckling Marcus says "You've just been had."

Alex looks back at Stevie and smiling replies. " Yeah."

...


End file.
